The Night I Freed John Brown
The Night I Freed John Brown
Winner of The Paterson Prize for Books for Young People
Recommended by USA Today for Black History Month as "a blend of history and suspense."
In this novel for young adults, Josh knows there is something about the tall Victorian House on the Harpers Ferry Hill, the one his father grew up in, that he can’t quite put his finger on. And his impossible father won’t give him any clues. He’s hiding something.
And then there’s the famous John Brown. The one who all the tourists come to hear about. The one whose statue looms over Josh’s house. Why does he seem to haunt Josh and his whole family? When the fancy Richmonds come to town and move right next door, their presence forces Josh to find the answers and stand up to the secrets of the House, to his father—and to John Brown, too.
The historic village of Harpers Ferry comes alive in this young boy’s brave search for answers and a place of his own in this brilliant first novel by John Michael Cummings.
Characterizations are sharp, the setting eerily evoked and the story satisfying. A highly original meditation on how the past can haunt the present.'
—Kirkus Reviews
There are marvelous plot twists and surprises right to the very end . . . and his prose can be pure poetry.'
—The Boston Globe
'It tells us to make our own happy endings, and that life goes on, whether we like it or not.'
—BookPage
Cummings has a special talent for description, painting vividly clear pictures with his animated words.'
—Teenreads.com
It is a fast-paced story that addresses themes like: familial relationships, identity development and brotherhood.’
—The ALAN Review
A compelling narrative of a troubled family and a dark secret of past grudges and grievances.'
—The Buffalo News
Thoughtful and compelling . . . This moody, almost Gothic, novel will offer you a pleasant few hours to be sure.'
—The Orange County Register
'. . . Lively characters whose voices ring true. Josh is every young boy who ever resented his own culture and family.’
—The Baton Rouge Advocate
John Michael Cummings's short stories have appeared in more than seventy-five literary journals, including The Iowa Review, North American Review, The Chattahoochee Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Kenyon Review. Twice he has been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. His short story "The Scratchboard Project" received an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2007. He is the author of Ugly to Start With and Don't Forget Me, Bro.
